


Take Me Back

by MysticFr0st



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-03-18 08:11:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13677735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysticFr0st/pseuds/MysticFr0st
Summary: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock IV was named for his many-greats-grandfather, the pride of the viking village of Berk and expert dragon trainer. His mother, Valka (named for his many-greats-plus-one-grandmother), is an archaeologist. Hiccup, like her, has a thirst for his family's history. He meets Jack, a playful and charming guy with a fascinating story, and together they dive into the past after bonding over one thing special to them both: dragons.





	1. How Far Does That Tattoo Go?

**Author's Note:**

> During the Hijack Smut Week 2017 event on Tumblr, I accidentally-on-purpose connected all my submissions into one story. Since I'm taking that plot and expanding on it, it seemed fitting that I use Day 1: "How far does that tattoo go?" as the first chapter.

" _LOOK OUT!_ "

Jack was, admittedly, not  _always_  the best at skateboarding. On many days, he was smooth, and agile, and  _not shitty in the slightest_. But not today, apparently, as he had lost control and was careening downhill. Would a normal person jump off the board and save their bodies from potential monumental physical pain? Yes. Did Jack want to do that and risk losing his  _very pretty_ Zero Prism to the woods, never to be found again?  _Hell no_.

As it were, anyway, it was probably better he was still on said skateboard so he could warn people in his path that something was rapidly rolling towards them. Personally,  _he_ would rather someone yell at him to get out of the way than have his ankles or shins obliterated by something close to 8 pounds flying downhill at a ridiculous speed without warning.

It wasn't too fortunate for neither him nor the boy in his path, though, because his warning fell upon a pair of earbuds.

By the time Jack saw those earbuds, it was already too late.

He tried to veer left, but given the lack of control the white-haired boy had over his board at the moment, he didn't make it that far. His shoulder connected hard with the lanky boy in his path, making for a very painful kind of brake to Jack's out-of-control ride. His board went flying,  _thankfully_  landing wheels-up a few feet away. But Jack ended up in a very uncomfortable tangle of thin limbs until he and the freckled kid he'd just run down looked more like a very disfigured arachnid than two separate boys.

"Ohhhh  _shiiiit_ ," Jack groaned once he finally caught his breath, struggling to pull himself out of the pretzel situation without doing too much harm to his partner in pain. "God, are you okay?"

His human cushion slowly sat up with a nasally groan of his own, rolling his shoulders and earning a disconcerting popping sound that made Jack cringe. "I'm...uh, I'm not really sure. Maybe give me a moment to think that over."

The two slowly and carefully peeled themselves apart. Jack had a brief moment of terror when his leg bumped against the stranger's, only for it to bend the wrong way. Then, the freckled  _angel because holy fuck were those eyes green or was he seeing the world through some kind of wild instagram filter_  reached down to readjust it. He must have seen Jack's horrified expression, though, because he spoke up again through the grimace on his features. "Oh, don't worry, it's uhhh… It's fake. You knocked it loose, that's all."

Jack heaved a sigh of relief, putting a hand to his chest. The stranger snorted in amusement at his reaction, which was a _little_  offensive to Jack. Anyone else with a lick of sense would have thought they'd just broken the dude's leg. "So like… Are you okay?" he asked again, climbing up to his feet.

"Oh? Oh. Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just…bruised, probably. Nothing broken, so that's good. Uhhh…are you?" The stranger tried to stand, but Jack held out a hand for him. He took it, and Jack helped him to his feet. Foot. Foot and a half? Oh god, this was so wrong. Man, he hoped no one around him could read minds. This was a disaster.

"Good," Jack instead said, taking his hand back once the boy was righted again. "Good, glad I don't need to take you to a hospital. In case you hadn't noticed, my ride isn't exactly a reliable one and I don't think you'd get there in one piece." He offered a lopsided grin, internally cringing. Was he taking this moment to flirt? Seriously?

But the stranger laughed (an awkward but  _amazing_  sound to Jack's ears) and held out his hand again, this time to shake. "I'm Hiccup."

"Is that a nickname, orrrr…" Really, Jack? He took Hiccup's hand anyway, shaking it a little awkwardly.

"Nope, that's uh… That's my real name. Unfortunately."

"No, no, I didn't mean it that way. It's not  _bad_ , really. Just uhhh… Y'know. Unusual. I've never heard a name like that before. I'm Jack."

"It's an old family name," Hiccup sighed and shrugged. "It's not important. I mean, it is important, I suppose, but not…in this context…" He trailed off, and awkwardly moved to pick up the skateboard Jack had nearly gotten them both killed over. Not that Jack regretted that. If he'd let it fly, he wouldn't have run into the cutest person he'd ever fucking seen. "Uhhh, here. Nice to meet you, uh, Jack."

Jack had his lopsided grin still plastered on his face as Hiccup handed over his board. "Thanks," he hummed.

"That's quite a board," Hiccup commented, his hypnotic green eyes working their way down the equally hypnotic print on the deck. It was a complete holographic sheet under a simple decal, so Jack didn't blame him for looking so fascinated.

"Thanks," he hummed, shifting so he was holding the board tucked in close to his side. "I love it. I mean, it reflects  _rainbows_. Can't get any more me than _that_." Holy fuck, did he just make a reference to how hella gay he was? Loki have mercy on his  _fucking soul_. The awkwardness he smelled on Hiccup must have been contagious.

Hiccup's eyes drifted from the board to Jack's face, a small smirk on his own face. Then his gaze fell to Jack's collarbone, where his jacket had somewhat fallen down his arm and exposed the beginnings of what appeared to be brush strokes peeking out from under his shirt's low collar. "That is also uh… That's also quite a tattoo you have there," Hiccup said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Did it hurt? Considering the uh, placement."

"Probably more than you think," Jack chuckled, shrugging. Then, with a little smirk, he tugged the side of his shirt down a little to reveal that the ink went down further. "Over the collarbone was nothing. This baby is huge - took three sessions to get it done. It's a W-"

"Woolly Howl," Hiccup interrupted him, smiling and showing off a row of crooked teeth. Jack felt his heart skip a beat. "Right? The dragon. I can tell by the spikes running along the back of the tail."

Jack looked down at the exposed bit of the tattoo, mildly impressed with Hiccup's keen eye. "Wow," he hummed. "Can't even see the whole thing and you've pegged me right. I've always felt kind of a connection with them."

Something sparked in Hiccup's eyes that Jack couldn't place. "I'm partial to the Night Fury." Both dragons were rare in historical texts. Jack was actually pretty sure that the Night Fury was extinct long before even the rarest dragons known to modern mankind were endangered, if his memory was correct. "I-I know not a  _whole lot_  is known about them, but something about the  _unholy offspring of lightning and death itself_  just screams… _me_. Right?"

This time it was Jack's turn to laugh at the sarcasm in the cutie's tone. "I dunno. Don't wanna go making assumptions about you just yet. I think we should definitely get to know each other better first and _then_ let me judge you."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, but the soft smile on his features told Jack that what he said was the right thing to say. "So, can I see the whole thing?"

Jack smirked and tugged up his shirt, showing off the tattoo. Over the side of his torso was a brushstroke interpretation of a Woolly Howl. Jack was really proud of the art - it was his own, and he got a lot of compliments on the details despite it being an abstract style like brushstroke. The entire dragon was visible, but the artistic swirls of frost and snowflakes meant to be its ice blast disappeared down his waistband. Hints of what looked like colorful stains peeked out from just under his jeans as well. It transitioned into a watercolor tattoo the further down it got.

The question came just as Jack had expected it to. "How far does that tattoo go?"

His response was almost immediate. "Buy me dinner and I'll show you."

Dinner was a cheap meal of the frozen variety at Hiccup's apartment, but that was all the same to Jack. As he was standing in front of Hiccup in the bedroom, slowly peeling off his shirt and pushing down his jeans that evening while a pair of gods-given green eyes stared intently at the newly exposed skin, he didn't care whether he'd been fed gourmet cuisine or a 79 cent cheeseburger mac pack. All he cared about was the freckled hands taking a hold of his waist when he walked closer and the gorgeous hot mouth that was beginning to trail down the ever more vibrant colors on his now very flushed body, heading for its prize.


	2. Stealing Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup ponders the boy he brought home the morning after.

If there was one thing he didn't expect, it was for the boy who ran him over the day before to be so  _cute_ the morning after.

Okay, so, to be fair, he wasn't expecting to take him home in the first place as they were untangling themselves, but here they were, cuddled up in his bed as the sun peeked through his bedroom curtains.

Hiccup had woken up first, only to find a head entirely comprised of white cowlicks tucked under his chin. A feeling of warmth settled into his chest and he inhaled slowly, head dipping down a little to press a kiss into the mess of soft hair. He let himself breathe in the other's scent, committing it to memory. A fond smile graced his features and closed his eyes again.

Was this normal behavior given the circumstances? Not at all. Speaking strictly in facts, they had met  _yesterday_ , and ate cheap dinner while making small talk about the recent springtime rain and a movie they had both seen in theaters before blowing each other. Hiccup didn't make a  _habit_  out of one-night-stands, but one or two of them was enough for him to know the formula, and that certainly fit the bill.

But Hiccup wasn't looking at the situation from a logical, factual standpoint.

They ate frozen cheeseburger mac TV dinners, and the conversation was superficial at best. But Jack, he found quickly, had a way of talking to people that he swore could brighten anyone's mood. He spoke so animatedly of even the most trivial topic, it reminded him a bit of himself. His arms moved as he got  _really_  into the conversation, the same way Hiccup's did when he was talking to anyone about a project, or about archaeology, or about  _dragons_. During dinner, he found himself leaning forward in interest, putting more effort into the conversation that the movie they were talking about had even been  _worth_.

They fooled around, but went no further than mouths on each other. But somehow the experience was so... _intimate_. Jack had thrown himself into the experience, granting Hiccup the best night of his life. And then, before they fell asleep, they had simply touched each other. Hands sliding over each other's bodies, worshiping each other as they drifted off to sleep.

Hiccup had taken a particular interest in Jack's Woolly Howl tattoo given his obsession with dragons, sure. But he was too preoccupied to ask before they got into bed, and a part of him regretted it now. What if Jack didn't feel what he'd felt last night, and just wanted to go home? Hiccup had a tendency to overthink things, after all, and Thor knows he was a little... Well,  _desperate_ wasn't a nice word, but it was closer to accurate than anything else he could think of off the top of his head.

What  _did_  he feel last night?

He wanted to  _know_  Jack, as much as he  _felt_  like he did, in the most irrational kind of way. He wanted to know just what he'd meant by a connection to the Woolly Howl. Hiccup wanted to get Jack talking about something that interested him, to see those eyes light up all over again.

Apparently, Jack didn't even  _like_  that movie too much. What would he look like if he talked about something he  _loved_?

Jack shifted in his arms, and Hiccup opened his eyes again. The whitette made a small noise against his chest and very slowly tilted his head up. Hiccup lifted his head to look down at him, heart skipping a beat when he was met with bleary baby blues and a perfect pearly smile.

"G'morning," Jack mumbled. "Nice bedhead."

Hiccup blushed. "You're one to talk," he murmured, letting his head fall to the side onto the pillow instead of burrowing back into Jack's fluffy hair, not wanting to scare him off now that they were awake. "You look like you've never used a hairbrush in your life."

"I  _haven't_."

"Oh..."

Hiccup's eyes flicked upwards until he was staring at the headboard of his bed, puffing his cheeks out awkwardly. Below him, he heard a chuckle and he glanced down again.

Jack was smiling at him.

Gods, he was so... _beautiful_.

_...And his hands were on his neck?_

Hiccup shivered as Jack's hands ran up to the back of his head, pulling him down to kiss him. He closed his eyes and kissed him back eagerly, tongue poking out and swiping over Jack's lips. The gesture earned a giggle from Jack and Hiccup pulled back a little, eyebrow raised. "Something funny?" he asked, a little breathlessly.

But Jack only shook his head, grin on his face, and gently tugged Hiccup back down again.

The giggles soon became contagious, and the two of them were kissing and laughing and neither of them could stop. Hiccup felt lightness in his chest as his cute date ran his hands through his hair, making him hum before snickering against his lips again.

When they finally broke for a proper breath, Hiccup was met with a lopsided grin.

"Heh...  _Hey_ , um..." Hiccup could hear the awkwardness leaking into his voice even through the butterflies in his stomach and fought off the urge to cringe. "Soooo."

"Sooooo?" How was it possible for that face to look so innocent? So sweet? Did he bring a hypnotist home? Was he under a spell?

"Do you...wanna do this again sometime?"

Thin, pale lips closed, but the smile remained. Jack leaned up, and pressed a sweet kiss to Hiccup's lips. It was quick; barely a peck.

"I'll do you one better... Let's shower, and I'll make you breakfast. And you can tell me what's up with those dragon sketches on the wall above your desk."

Hiccup snorted. Jack beamed again, showing off perfect, bright teeth. Hiccup was jealous. "Only if you tell me about that Woolly Howl."

"Deal. Now...come back here."

Hands in his hair again, pulling him in. They laid there, stealing kisses between blissful giggles in the soft morning light.


	3. Let Me Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a week since they met, and Jack and Hiccup can't help but flirt relentlessly with each other. It's pretty disgusting, actually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a lot of the fandom doesn't actually like Race To The Edge for a number of reasons, but this chapter is still in honor of the release of season 6 on Netflix.

"No kidding, you're  _actually_ a baker?"

Jack couldn't help but snort. What did Hiccup expect, when Jack requested free range of his entire kitchen? Hiccup was definitely a single college guy given the contents of his cabinets, but it was enough for Jack to toss together a decent breakfast. "I'm not a pro or anything, but I  _do_  work in a bakery."

"If you do it for a living, I think that counts as being a  _pro_."

"Alas," Jack began with a bit of a dramatic lilt. He waved his hand lazily to emphasize his teasing tone. "To the  _educated elite_ , it only counts if you have a  _degree_  in the culinary arts."

"I also think  _I_  count as  _educated elite_."

Oh man, that goofy smile Hiccup flashed him, with his big, crooked teeth... Jack couldn't help but giggle at their banter. "Oh, of course. Dr. Hiccup Haddock: Ace Archaeologist, huh? And just  _when_  do you get that title? Two years? Three?"

Green eyes rolled across the table from him as the freckled angel picked at his pancakes. "Archaeology is gonna be a second major, smartass." Jack beamed at him, and Hiccup snorted and continued. "I'm studying to be a Draconologist first. And it's  _one_  year, but that's until I get my  _bachelor's_. Doctorate's a long way off."

Last night had been amazing - more so than a night like that should have been. Jack had felt so light and airy before, and after, and he drifted off to sleep so easily with Hiccup's hands brushing over him so gently. And now that they were sitting at Hiccup's dinky little table eating improvised pancakes and eggs, Jack was still finding Hiccup fun to talk to. It didn't even feel awkward being here.

Don't get him wrong - Hiccup seemed awkward, but Jack didn't think it was because of what they'd done last night. He suspected Hiccup was naturally awkward the moment they met.

"Oooh, started college early, huh? That's so unfair. You're like,  _twenty_."

"Don't people usually start right after they graduate?"

"...Not really? I planned to take a year off after high school and landed the bakery job. But there isn't a culinary program worth anything in central Pennsylvania, so...here I am?"

Hiccup grinned, and Jack blushed. He could read the teasing, albeit good natured, look on Hiccup's face. Hiccup, who had apparently moved here  _by himself_  like the big, brave boy he was from Norway for Penn State's 'superior' archaeology, paleontology, and draconology programs. (There were other,  _much_ _better_ schools out there, and probably closer to his home. Jack just suspected he got a free ride through the exchange program or something.)

"You don't wanna be away from your parents, do you?"

Jack pouted.

"It's just me, my mom, and my sister," Jack explained, waving his hand again. "She's in high school. I can't subject my mom to raising a  _second_  me. I made her life a nightmare. She needs all the help she can get."

"Gods forbid your mom have to raise someone else prone to crashing a skateboard. Too many trips to the ER stress her out?"

Jack snorted, and reached across the table to smack the back of Hiccup's hand lightly. "Oh god, no, I was so much worse as a teenager. It's a wonder I don't have a criminal record. Same goes for Emma. Last week she threw a rock at a cop car."

" _Geez_."

"...Well, she  _missed_. I'm...she's a work in progress. I'll work her out of it soon."

Hiccup should have, in all honesty, been turned off by this conversation. Jack's personal life and family history was wild, and weird, and he could feel himself  _oversharing_  with this cute brunet for some  _ungodly_ reason. To Jack, this was going downhill fast. A total disaster. He fully expected to hear a polite, but cool tone take over that nasally voice and to be asked to leave after breakfast. But Hiccup's eyes were as warm as Jack's cheeks they gazed at each other across the table.

Jack pursed his lips to the silence, and Hiccup chuckled.

"So, Woolly Howl?"

_This dragon-obsessed dork_.

* * *

Jack flopped back onto his bed, phone in hand. He had been texting Hiccup back and forth for the better part of an hour - ever since he'd left Jamie and Monty in the light of Jamie's TV, bickering incessantly over something Jack just found kind of boring.

Now, don't get him wrong: he was totally having a blast with his two best friends. But like... They were all  _kind of_  adults. Did they really have to argue over Mario Kart?

"Says the guy who argued with me for an hour over whether Star Wars or Star Trek was better."

"Yeah, yeah, I know they were kidding. But I got  _so bored_ , and calling you just seemed so much better than that~. Even if you were wrong about Star Trek."

"You sure it wasn't something to do with the fact that you can walk and talk at the same time, but when you text you run into things? Like trees, stop signs, walls, windows, doors-"

" _Thank you_ , Hiccup. You are really making me feel better about myself."

"I'm just saying. Say what you will about  _me_  being clumsy, but if I recall it was  _you_  who ran me over with a skateboard."

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"Why would I ever let you forget it?"

Jack laughed, tipping his head back into the pillow, and over the phone he heard Hiccup laugh too. His heart fluttered to hear the nasally chuckles of his nerdy boyfriend.

Er,  _friend_? With benefits maybe? Hiccup and Jack had been playing this game for about a week now. They had only truly fooled around the once, but  _since then_  they had dinner together for the second night in a row, texted pretty much every day, and this was the third night they had called to talk on the phone before bed.

Jack was smitten. He couldn't escape now.

"What are you doing this weekend?" Hiccup asked, once their laughter had passed.

Jack smiled and rolled onto his side, tucking the phone between his face and the pillow. "I hope I'm spending time with you," he answered. To be honest, that probably would have been smooth, if he hadn't rolled first. He could hear the faint echo of himself because of the close proximity of his mouth to the phone, and he sounded  _so garbled_. Hiccup snorted on his end, and Jack's face turned red.

"Did you just lay on the phone?" Hiccup asked. "Because that's really cute."

Damn it. If anyone was cute, it was Hiccup, with his little awkward face and his nasally voice and his nerdy tendencies and obsession with dragons. The brunet had absolutely no right to be this cute.

"Hey... You haven't told me your Night Fury story yet," Jack said, the thought of Hiccup being a nerd bringing that question to mind again. "I told you about the Woolly Howl, it's only fair."

* * *

Jack sat back in his chair, fork abandoned on his plate. He crossed his arms and stared at Hiccup for a long moment before smirking a little.

Hiccup was adorable. Jack really was lucky to have run into him.

"Okay, fine. So..." Jack trailed off, thinking for a moment. After hearing all about how Hiccup's mother was the world's leading draconologist, and how he was following in her footsteps after inheriting her absolute obsession with dragons... How Hiccup did extensive research on any dragon he could think of until he understood everything there was to know without seeing one of the beasts themselves.

Compared to Hiccup's passion, Jack felt like his story was a little...lacking. Finally, he shifted, almost self conscious.

"Hey," Hiccup said softly, jarring Jack out of his thoughts. The brunet reached across the table and put a hand on his shoulder, smiling gently. "C'mon, don't look like that. No need to be nervous. I mean, chances are I'll just geek out at you once you're done."

God damn it all. Hiccup was so cute.

Jack glanced down at his hand, and a little mischievous smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. He took the freckled hand from his shoulder and lifted it to his mouth, kissing the back of it lightly.

"Do you know what it feels like to fly?"


	4. Chapter 4: Extreme Sports

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up between the boys. Hiccup has met Jack's family, and Jack has learned a little more about Hiccup's. Emma regrets everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? It's already been over a month? Shhhhh... We just won't talk about it.

"Jack, this is a  _terrible_  idea."

" _You're_  the one who agreed to the terms."

"I-...  _Okay, yeah_ , but I didn't honestly expect you to be able to recite the alphabet backwards  _while drunk_."

"You doubted me, Hiccup. That was your downfall."

Out of every decision he'd ever made in his life, every little moment that had led him to this, he was sure of one thing - that statement was probably true. He had underestimated Jack, and that was the reason he was standing on a skateboard at this particular moment, on Jack's backyard patio, clinging to his boyfriend's shoulders and trying not to fall. The whitette had the nerve to be grinning at him, the little shit.

" _How_  can you even do that?"

Jack rolled his eyes, hands secured on Hiccup's hips to keep him from actually falling while the brunet tried to find his balance. Hiccup was just grateful Jack didn't decide to be a dick and let go of him. "No one expects anyone to memorize the alphabet backwards. But like, there was this old mini-series thing on Disney Channel when I was a kid that showed during commercials, and some chick sang the alphabet backwards in one episode. It played  _so many times_ , Hic. I woke up chanting the alphabet backwards  _in my sleep_."

"I am  _absolutely positive_ that's not true."

"You doubt me again?"

"Ah, put a sock in it and help me,  _please_."

Jack laughed, and Hiccup swore he heard little bells when he did. He was almost positive Jack was a pixie, not a person. It would certainly fit with his personality, wouldn't it? Tricky, playful, and mischievous. Not only that, but Jack had this ethereal beauty about him. With his naturally white hair and porcelain skin, he looked like  _winter personified_. Hiccup had jokingly taken to calling him 'Jack Frost' in his head.

He supposed he wasn't the only one who thought that way about his little ice pixie, though. His little sister called him 'snowcone', which was adorable. Hiccup didn't tell her that, of course, because he was absolutely sure the little angry ball of punk she was would have never called him that again. He knew,  _sometimes_ , when to keep his mouth shut.

Suddenly he was very rudely interrupted from his momentary lapse in awareness as the skateboard beneath him was moving...and he was not going in the same direction. He yelped, finding himself all too quickly on his ass on the hard concrete island. He assumed the skateboard was...somewhere, laying in the grass nearby, but he couldn't see it. His vision was suddenly filled with mostly white as Jack crouched over him.

"Holy shit, are you okay?" he asked quickly, hands moving to steady Hiccup so he wouldn't fall the rest of the way and risk hitting his head on the pavement. How unsteady did he look, even sitting down, if Jack was all over him like this?

"I... I'm not really sure. Gimme a moment to think it over."

At his response, he registered the fall in Jack's shoulders and the sigh his boyfriend released.

_'"God, are you okay?"  
"I'm...uh, I'm not really sure. Maybe give me a moment to think that over."'_

Their first interaction. It had become something of a joke between them. Now, it meant something more along the lines of "just fuckin' peachy". At least, in Jack's words. Hiccup would have chosen a less  _colorful_ means of explaining it.

Jack relaxed and moved to sit back, butt plopping lightly down on Hiccup's thighs. The pressure was welcome, and Hiccup's arms wound around Jack's waist to keep him in place. Jack responded by wrapping his arms up over Hiccup's shoulders, and leaning in for a much-needed kiss.

"We are  _never_  trying that again."

"Never say never, Hiccup."

"Jack, please don't start with the cheesy motivational one-liners."

"But look, they're making you smile."

Hiccup rolled his eyes and kissed Jack again. "Still not doing this again," he said, once they parted.

Jack opened his mouth to speak, and Hiccup caught a glint in his eye. It wasn't Jack's normal look - the one Hiccup had come to know all too well even over just the past week of knowing him. Jack had this  _look_  when he was going to try and be  _truly encouraging_. And oh, for the love of Thor, Hiccup knew exactly what the whitette was going to say. He had no doubts Jack had done extensive research on this subject  _just for him_.

"I'm gonna stop you right there," Hiccup interrupted, before Jack could even get a word in. "I swear, if you're about to go on some spiel about one-legged skaters becoming legends through perseverance or something, I'm dropping you in the grass and watching your mother kill you for getting grass stains on your ass."

Jack shut his mouth again. God, he looked cute when he was surprised and looking stupid.

"Obviously I don't doubt your word for it. And really, I'm sure you're a great teacher. But..." Hiccup dipped his head to get a good, direct,  _meaningful_  look into Jack's eyes. "I'm the most uncoordinated person I've ever known. I can't even walk without tripping over something. What makes you think I'd be able to ride a skateboard without killing myself?"

The impish smile Hiccup so very loved split his face, and the whitette leaned in to kiss him again. "If you can't learn to ride a skateboard, what makes you think you'd have been able to ride a dragon?"

* * *

_"Hey... You haven't told me your Night Fury story yet. I told you about the Woolly Howl, it's only fair."_

_Hiccup, for a long moment after Jack had said that, was just quiet. So long, in fact, that Jack must have thought their connection had dropped, because he was asking Hiccup if he was still on the line._

_"Wha? Oh. Well. Yeah. Um. About that."_

_"...Yeah...?"_

_Hiccup cleared his throat, but finally smiled to himself. "I'd love to tell you, Jack. But that's something that I think I should tell you in person. It's kind of a personal story. Family stuff, y'know?"_

_"Well then," Jack's voice, jovial and teasing, came through. "I guess I have a reason to hang out with you this weekend now."_

_"Good to know my sparkling personality doesn't have anything to do with it."_

_"Oh, come on, Hiccup. You_ _**know** _ _I'm only in it for the dragons. It's not like you're the most adorable thing I've ever seen or anything."_

When they had met up for the weekend, dinner with Jack's family and a very apparently  _planned_  skateboard fiasco yet to occur, while the boys were up in Jack's bedroom just lounging in his bed together, Hiccup told Jack the whole story.

"So...you know how I said 'Hiccup' was an old family name?"

"Yeah?"

"You've never heard the name before, have you?"

"No."

Hiccup turned over to look at Jack in profile. The whitette was staring up at his ceiling, but Hiccup's movements drew his attention and he turned his head to face him. That sweet, pearly white smile graced his lips and Hiccup found himself grinning in response. "In old viking tradition, the runt of the litter was called a hiccup."

As expected, that angelic face turned concerned almost immediately. "Hey now, wait a second Hic-"

"Hang on, Jack," Hiccup chuckled, putting a finger to his lips to silence him. "I wasn't named Hiccup because my parents thought I'd be a runt. I was named Hiccup after my ancestor, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third. I'm pretty proud to be the fourth Hiccup in my family considering  _he_  lived around eight centuries ago."

Jack seemed to be stuck in stunned silence for a moment, but he recovered quickly. "Your middle name is  _Horrendous_?"

"Yes, _that's_  what you need to focus on," Hiccup mumbled with a roll of his eyes but a fond smirk. "Anyway, my mom is obsessed with dragons, and...well, Hiccup the third happened to be one of the greatest dragon trainers of his time. Most of his notes have been lost to time, a-at least as far as we know, but we still have our stories... I'm related to him on my mom's side... She admired him so much, she named me after him."

Jack rolled onto his side, enough to lightly peck at Hiccup's lips. "So...what? Does your ancestor have something to do with Night Furies?"

"I mean, sort of... Maybe a little bit, I guess? I mean...  _He did ride one_."

"...No way." Jack had that cute look on his face. Surprised and stupid.

"I mean, I guess the only proof we have is one of his journals, and the stories passed down in our family... But that's of course only taking one man's word for it. Plus, I'm pretty sure he wrote the one my family has now when he was like... I dunno, 15? But...yeah... Back then when he was young, humans and dragons were still kinda at odds with each other. He was the one who brought them together as allies... He created the Dragon Riders - this little nobody kid from a little nobody tribe changed the world as we know it. But he, and Berk, were some of the best kept secrets of their time."

Jack had slowly turned where he lay until he was fully facing Hiccup, leaning in closer with interest. Hiccup had just grinned, and pulled him close, cuddling with him as he told him all he knew about his ancestor, and his adventures with Toothless, the Night Fury.

* * *

"I can  _snowboard_ ," Hiccup defended himself, laughing quietly while Jack giggled at him. "It's just, there's this thing called  _solid concrete_  that makes falling down hurt a lot more than it would in a nice fluffy bed of snow."

"Oh no, you poor baby," Jack cooed, pinching Hiccup's cheek. The brunet swatted at his hand with a scowl and a noise that sounded equal parts awkward and annoyed and affectionate. Hiccup pouted, and Jack laughed his jingling little laugh again.

"Besides," Hiccup said, a little slower this time. "If there  _were_  still dragons around for the riding, I'm sure there'd be this handy little thing called...oh, well, I don't know...a  _saddle_? Something that would help me hold on, at the very least, so I wouldn't go crashing into the ground."

Jack rolled his eyes and leaned in again to peck his lips. Hiccup turned his head though, so Jack connected with his cheek. He was pouting. He wasn't gonna let Jack kiss away his totally justified pout! Not yet, anyway.

"Come on, dragon boy," Jack whispered, lips never leaving his cheek. The light brushing of skin on skin made Hiccup blush a little, and soon he felt Jack's lips curl into a smile. He must have felt the warmth radiating off of him.

Hiccup, for his part, only made a mocking kind of mumble that vaguely resembled what Jack had just said, earning a little mischievous giggle.

"Come on, we can go inside now," he whispered again. "Do you wanna stay over for the night? Oooor, would you rather we go back to your place so you can punish me for humiliating you on the skateboard today?"

Of course, he had to go the inappropriate route. They both knew they wouldn't actually be having any sex, but Hiccup kept up the teasing game anyway. "I think the best punishment would be to deprive you," he mumbled, a little smirk forming as he slowly turned his head back into range of Jack's lips. "And that means staying here, where we can't do  _anything_  because we both know you can't keep quiet."

And then he lightly kissed Jack on the lips, humming a little when he felt the whitette sink into him and relax. He pulled him close, just enjoying the feeling of his body against the other.

" _Ew!_ Gross, you guys!" Emma's voice rang from the back door, and when Hiccup turned to face her she looked disgusted. "If you're gonna do that, go back to Hiccup's place!  _God!_ " Then, swiftly, she turned and stormed away from the door.

Hiccup felt Jack start to laugh softly at first, before it dissolved into full blown, loud laughter. Hiccup couldn't help but chuckle along with him, a little embarrassed but otherwise pretty amused at the poor girl's outburst.

"I think you should stay over just to freak her out," Jack snickered.

"Yeah," Hiccup hummed, reaching up to teasingly flick Jack's nose. "Me too."


	5. The Feeling Of Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little narrative from Jack.

_There were fewer things in this world Jack liked more than the feeling of flight._

_Nothing physical could ever compare to the feeling of the wind whipping through his hair and nothing beneath his feet. Boarding downhill without control was one thing, but launching himself off a ramp into the air was another. Nothing felt better than the weightlessness just before gravity wrapped its arms around you to bring you back down to Earth again._

_...Well, maybe not **nothing**._

* * *

_Two weeks was the mark._

Jack's relationship history may have been  _extensive_ , but it certainly wasn't complicated. Two words summed up every relationship he'd had in the past five years, if you could even call them  _relationships_. Two words: two weeks.

Jack wasn't good at relationships. There had been somewhere around twenty of them.

Alarming? Probably.

Here's what usually happened: Jack would find a new partner, and things would get physical pretty fast. The skater lived a bit of a reckless lifestyle that had started in high school during his "dirty punk" phase...emphasis on "dirty". And really, there was nothing wrong with that, unless you counted the part where the "relationships" would fizzle out because he and his partner got bored of each other in bed, and had no drive to get to know each other  _after_  banging.

That had never bothered him. He knew the major reason was himself. Jack wasn't so self-absorbed to think that all those "relationships" ended by the fault of the other out of some massive coincidence. Even if it was partially the fault of his partners for not holding onto him or putting in an effort, it was also his. And nothing could really be done about it, anyway. He'd lost interest. So had they. He never blamed any of his exes.

Hell, he barely remembered half of them. Two weeks wasn't enough to make a memory.

Not in most cases, anyway.

* * *

_Some people lived their lives content to stay on the ground. They feared the open air. They feared the height. They said if humans were meant to fly, God would have given them wings like angels._

_Jack felt so sorry for them._

_He too had once felt content on the ground. The ground was where people existed. It was normal. It was natural. It was secure._

_Even when he was learning how to board, speed was the only factor that occurred to him. How to move fast. How to look cool. He learned a few tricks, but none of them took him off the ground._

_He never considered where he was; never once did he think about flying._

_And then, one day, he decided to tackle the half pipe._

_As he stared down at the ground from his perch, he felt nervousness tickling at his gut. Sure, he'd gotten some air before for a few seconds. He'd done some small ramps and messed around in the bowl at the local park. But this monster was three times his height - Caleb and Claude had it built in their backyard, and it was an insane structure straight out of a cartoon. He had to use a ladder to get up to where he was._

_His friends cheered him on - some of them on the ground, some of them on the opposite side. They had all been nervous their first time doing this, too. They understood, and would be chill if Jack backed down. He knew that, with a little bit of teasing, he would be fine on their terms if he didn't do this and stuck to what he knew._

_But Jack didn't care if he was fine on their terms. He wanted to be fine on his own._

_He steadied himself with a deep breath, readied his board, and dropped down._

* * *

The day he and Hiccup met, Jack had gone home with the freckled cutie, because he still lived at home and couldn't bring his flings around. They had a hilariously cheap dinner before retreating to Hiccup's bedroom, hiding away under the covers and leaving no inch of skin untouched.

With Hiccup below him, staring up into his eyes so intensely, the whitette felt like he had been lured into the den of an incubus. And then, Jack had returned the favor, pleasuring Hiccup with his mouth until the brunet had taken a tight grasp on his hair and pulled so hard his eyes had watered. Never had he felt so satisfied.

That was all they had done that night. Neither of them had the energy to do more. Jack opted to stay the night, curling up with Hiccup in the dark. They tucked into each other, skin on skin, locked in a comforting embrace that lulled them both into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

_He'd wiped out._

_The laws of physics dictated his path the moment he'd dropped down into the half pipe. Jack was launched into the air on the other side, and it was as if he was an inexperienced child all over again, instead of the seasoned year-and-a-half skateboarding veteran he fancied himself. His board slipped from his grasp mid-air and after a brief moment, he found himself falling._

_He came out of that experience with a few things. The first was a broken arm. His mother had been none too pleased with his friends or Jack himself for pulling such a stunt with so little experience with ramps. She lectured him, once it was apparent he wasn't in as much pain as he should have been._

_The second was determination. Jack had wiped out, alright. It was a disaster. The doctor said he was lucky he landed on his arm because he could have been seriously hurt had he landed on his head. No shit, Doc. A head injury is nothing to sneeze at. Then the doctor told him he should stay off the skateboard for a while until his arm healed._

_That was a 'no thanks' for Jack. He was responsible enough to keep off the extreme stuff while he was in the cast, but he didn't stop skating. Too stubborn. Too determined to get good. And as soon as he was out of the cast, he broke his arm all over again. This went for a couple of cycles and it never stopped him._

_Why?_

_Because of the third thing he came out of that experience with._

_Weightlessness._

_For a brief moment, Jack no longer felt the forces of gravity pulling him down. He felt his stomach rise pleasantly. His lungs felt light, without the weight of the world pulling him down. For a brief moment, he felt like he would keep going up and up until he left the atmosphere._

_For a brief moment, for the first time, Jack flew._

_It filled him with a giddiness he'd never quite experienced, but the price was that he never felt the same on the ground again._

_Gravity was a force he never thought about until he had escaped it. Now, it pulled at his lungs and made it hard to breathe. It made him feel heavy and uncomfortable. He craved that weightlessness again._

_Never again would he be content on the ground._

_He wanted to fly._

* * *

It was Jack who suggested they not have sex.

Fooling around was one thing. Actually crossing that barrier and sleeping together was another thing entirely...and Jack, as cheesy as it may have sounded, didn't want to cross just yet. Just being with Hiccup, just cuddling up to him was a refreshing change of pace for Jack, and Hiccup easily agreed. They could wait a while.

They were two weeks in now. Hiccup was sitting back on Jack's bed, leaning against the wall. Jack was laying on his back between his legs, arms propped up on Hiccup's thighs and his head back against his stomach. Blue eyes watched Hiccup from below - even from upside-down, Hiccup managed to be adorable. One hand reached up lazily to stroke lightly down one of Hiccup's cheeks.

The brunet didn't even flinch at the touch, having grown used to Jack's increasingly affectionate touches. He just turned his attention away from the small contraption in his hands that he was tinkering with and down to his boyfriend. Jack's adoring, soft smile was met with a small, amused one from Hiccup, all full of crooked teeth. Green eyes sparkled, and Jack felt something inside him that was familiar, but oh so unexpected.

As Hiccup looked back to the gadget in his hands, Jack continued to stare up at him with a look of  _breathless delight_.

Here, static on his bed, Jack felt his stomach and lungs break free from the confines of gravity. His heart soared with his spirit and he closed his eyes, letting himself imagine being above the clouds. By his side was Hiccup, of course. Jack wouldn't have achieved this feeling of flight without him.

* * *

_Never again would Jack be content with a two-week-long "relationship"._

_Not when he knew now what it felt like to fly._

Maybe there was something that felt better than literally soaring through the air.

And maybe two weeks was plenty of time to make a memory with the right person.

* * *

_Three weeks in._

_The streak was broken._


	6. Chapter 6: Take Me Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup gets some news from his mom.

Another Sunday morning found Jack and Hiccup curled up in bed together once again, snuggled together under the covers. As usual, they were easy to wake with the sunrise, but they most certainly were not easy to rise. Hiccup had tried at first to get out of bed, but Jack had put up a fuss. Not wanting his boyfriend to move, he'd clung to one of his arms and  _whined_  childishly for him to stay.

"Jack...  _Jack_ , oh come  _on_ , I have to  _pee_. I'll be  _right back_ , okay?"

Reluctantly, Jack let Hiccup go. Lucky for him, Hiccup came back into the room a few minutes later and Jack was quick to drag him back into bed. Hiccup seemed eager enough to re-join the magical land of blankets and sheets and comfort.

Once Jack had him back, neither of them said anything for a long time. Hiccup pulled Jack close to him, and Jack contently nuzzled into Hiccup's chest to breathe in his scent. Hiccup nosed into Jack's hair to do the same, and they continued to lay there in their lazy morning haze for a good long while.

Jack had stayed the night again, of course. Over the past couple of months, they had made a habit of staying at each other's houses. Jack was more likely to stay at Hiccup's apartment though, just because it meant not having a nosy little brat of a sister coming in while they were kissing, or waking Hiccup up in the mornings to demand Jack make cinnamon buns for her, or something equally as distressing to two grown men just trying to enjoy a relationship together,  _alone_.

They weren't even sleeping together yet, but Jack was absolutely certain that Emma would ruin it completely if they were. He was mildly paranoid she'd somehow manage to make an appearance if he and Hiccup  _did_ end up having sex... _at Hiccup's apartment_. She'd do it. He had no doubt.

Jack had his own drawer in Hiccup's dresser now, and Hiccup had one at Jack's. But despite having night clothes stored over here, Jack had still managed last minute to sweet talk Hiccup into loaning him a t-shirt to snuggle into. And that was how Hiccup had found Jack after getting up to pee - curled up, peeking at him  _very intentionally_ cutely from over the neck of Hiccup's t-shirt, smelling it.

Eventually, their early morning cuddles had shifted. Hiccup groaned as he stretched and rolled onto his back. Jack was moved part of the way just from being so tightly pressed against his boyfriend, so he rolled off and stretched as well. But then, he had just crawled on top of Hiccup and settled his hips between his legs, laying his head down on his chest and letting his arms fall loosely to either side of him. Occasionally Jack's thumb would brush over a thin, noodle-like bicep or over the shirt Hiccup wore, ever so lightly caressing his ribs.

Jack closed his eyes when Hiccup's arm came up around his waist, and there they stayed for another good...maybe half hour or so. It was so peaceful...until a loud rumbling sounded in his ears. His eyes snapped open and Hiccup started to laugh.

"Someone's hungry~."

True enough, it wasn't Hiccup's stomach that had growled, even though Jack's ear was right above it. It was Jack's, and it was so intense that Jack had heard it before he registered the feeling. Jack's face burned red and he pouted. "Shut up..."

Hiccup snorted, and shifted, urging Jack to sit up as well. The pouting, sleepy whitette was pulled into Hiccup's lap and soothed and shushed with a sweet kiss to the forehead. "C'mon, Jack... We've been in bed long enough, haven't we? Let's get some breakfast..."

"I wanna cuddle," Jack mumbled, in a childish whiny voice, which made Hiccup snort again.

"I'll make breakfast if you want me to," he whispered, nosing against Jack's cheek playfully.

_That_  got Jack's attention and woke him up. " _Absolutely not_ ," he said, pulling away quickly. "You'll  _burn the building down_ if you try to cook. I'll do it."

Jack crawled out of the bed and adjusted Hiccup's shirt - he may have accidentally stretched it around the neck a little, but a good washing would make it spring back to life later. Jack wasn't too worried about it for now. "I already know what I want..."

Before Jack could elaborate further, Hiccup chimed in from behind him as they made their way to the kitchen as though he had read Jack's mind. "You're just like your sister, y'know, with the cinnamon bun obsession."

_Damn it_.

* * *

The cinnamon buns were, of course, perfectly baked. The whole apartment smelled absolutely divine, which was of course why cinnamon buns were Jack's favorite thing to make. Hiccup had said too that no one made them quite like Jack did. And Jack, of course, was inclined to agree. The bakery had even asked him to use his own recipe instead of the owner's when he was making them because they were always so good.

Jack insisted on scooting his chair as close as he could to Hiccup's, so they could cuddle at the table while they ate. Hiccup was gracious about it, and let Jack be as clingy as he wanted. The two of them sat in comfortable silence, picking apart their cinnamon buns, leaning shoulder to shoulder with a blanket wrapped around the both of them despite the warm, late spring weather outside. Jack picked a candied pecan off his and popped it into his mouth, leaning his head against Hiccup's as he munched on it. He hummed when he felt the brunet lean on him, too.

"Aren't you glad you stocked your kitchen for me?"

Hiccup chuckled and nodded, swallowing what pastry was in his mouth before speaking. "I'm never letting it go barren again, you little sugar fiend."

Jack smirked and dipped his finger into the glaze, reaching up to swipe it across Hiccup's nose. "How did you ever survive without me?"

"Ah!" Hiccup swatted at him and laughed, dipping into his own bun and swiping the gooey cinnamon mixture over Jack's upper lip, giving him a sticky sweet mustache. "I have  _absolutely_ no idea. I must have been starving. You saw how  _skinny_  I was."

"You're still skinny!"

"So are you~."

"Fair."

Hiccup made to sit up, but Jack grabbed his arm and pouted at him. Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Jack," he sighed, grinning in amusement. "I gotta get something to clean us up. I'd rather not one of us end up with sticky goop in his hair."

"You know I like it when I've got sticky goop in my hair," Jack purred, playfully wagging his eyebrows.

"Oh, is that so?" Hiccup snorted, and ducked down to burrow his glaze-covered nose into Jack's hair, earning a squeal and a laugh. Jack started to smack at Hiccups shoulders and chest, wiggling and nearly falling out of the chair he was still sitting in. "Hey, hey, careful!" Hiccup laughed, catching his boyfriend by the waist and righting him again. "You're gonna end up hurting yourself, you doofus."

"Yeah, yeah... I guess you can go get something to clean us off now that you've  _soiled_ my hair."

Hiccup just laughed as he got up and went to go clean his nose off. He brought back a warm, wet cloth and ever so graciously started to clean the icing out of Jack's hair. "Sorry babe, looks like you're gonna have to wash it," he hummed.

Jack just snorted and shrugged, taking the rag from Hiccup and starting to wipe at the grainy cinnamon sugar mixture on his face. "Meh, I'd probably have to anyway. I haven't showered since Thursday."

" _Jack, you slept in my bed last night._ "

Jack could only laugh. "I put on  _deodorant_ ," he teased, flicking the dirty rag back at Hiccup, who flailed and knocked it to the floor in his clumsy attempt to catch it. Jack laughed a little harder. "Shouldn't that be good enough?"

"You are absolutely disgusting," Hiccup groaned, picking up the rag and leaving the kitchen to toss it into the dirty clothes basket in the hall. When he returned, he leaned down to give Jack a slow, sweet little kiss on the cheek. "It's a good thing you're cute."

Jack fluttered his eyelashes playfully at his boyfriend and stood up, to give him a proper kiss on the lips. But before they could get into it, Hiccup's phone started ringing where it was laying on the table. Jack was quick to break their kiss to turn around and pick it up, being as nosy as ever. He turned back around again to face Hiccup, excitement written all over his face. "It's your mom!"

"Heh..." Hiccup took the phone, looking at it, then looking at Jack. "Do you min-"

"Of course not!" Jack said quickly, and reached to answer the phone before it could go to voicemail.

Hiccup made one of his lovely little awkward noises and quickly pulled the phone to his ear, chuckling a bit as he greeted his mother. "Ahaha, hi, Mom..."

"I'll clean up the kitchen," Jack whispered, and slipped away from him to do just that. He hadn't bothered washing any dishes after finishing up the cinnamon buns because he'd wanted to eat them warm. Thankfully he'd had the foresight to soak everything, so washing them wouldn't be too difficult.

Behind him, he heard Hiccup walk out of the kitchen, continuing the conversation with Valka. "What? Oh, no, that was just Jack. No no, he doesn't mind. Well I see him all the time, but I don't really get to talk to you that much."

And that was true. Jack wasn't jealous or something crazy like that. Quite the opposite - Jack was a  _complete and total mama's boy_. The idea that Hiccup's mother was away on archaeological digs in places without cell service and so often in another absolutely ridiculous time zone that Hiccup rarely got to talk to her was just heartbreaking to him. And he could see how much Hiccup missed his mom, even though she always replied to his emails when she had the time with as much enthusiasm as he had sent them.

"Wait,  _you what?!_ " Hiccup almost shouted from the other room, and after a brief pause, the brunet laughed excitedly. " _Oh my gods, th-that...that's incredible!_ "

Jack had to turn down the water a little, grinning to himself as he listened to Hiccup get excited. He actually loved when Valka called when he was around - actually, he'd gotten to talk to her on the phone a couple of times. Yeah, he'd been shy... But she seemed to like him well enough, and that sure did make him feel better about eventually meeting her when she was able to spare some time to come to Burgess to visit. Hiccup had said that would probably be a long way away, though. But even when he didn't get to interact with her (and he usually didn't, because he didn't want to push into Hiccup's time with her), he loved hearing him express his passion for their shared interest. Valka was Hiccup's idol, practically, and it was adorable listening to him geek out.

"And you're  _sure_  it's Hiccup's?"

_Wait, what?_

Jack dropped the spatula in his hand back into the soapy water and turned towards the living room, turning off the water the rest of the way so he could listen better.

"That's amazing...! We only had the one journal... What are you gonna do? ...Are they gonna let you do that? ...Fair point. ...Wait, what...? Oh. W-well, I...  _I need to ask Jack_. Of course the school is gonna approve, listen... How long- Okay, I'll... Oh. I'll email you- a few hours? Alright. I'll let you know. ...I love you too, mom. Thank you! Thank you so, so, so much! Bye."

Jack frowned a little, but he knew Hiccup was coming back in to talk to him. So he turned back around and flicked the water back on, going back to washing the dishes as Hiccup came in.

"So, uh, that was my mom."

"..." Jack looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. "...I'm the one who answered the phone, you big nerd."

"Right."

Jack put the spatula he was washing into the drying rack and turned to face his boyfriend. "Soooo...are you gonna tell me what that was all about?"

Hiccup laughed sheepishly, shifting on his feet. The poor boy looked like he could barely contain his excitement. "Okay, so... My mom's on an excavation trip right now in what used to be the Barbaric Archipelago, where my family's from... A-and you know how I told you those seas are dangerous? I've been really worried about her being out there."

Jack smiled and put a wet hand on Hiccup's shoulder. He meant it to be supportive and sweet, but he couldn't help but snicker when Hiccup grimaced. "I know," he giggled. "I'm so glad she was able to call you and let you know she's okay. So what did she say?"

"She found something... She found something really  _huge_ , actually. And, well, it's... It's about our family. About the last Hiccup. You remember how I told you...we only have one of his journals?" Jack nodded, standing on his toes now, eyes wide as he listened to Hiccup build up to everything. "Well...she found another one. And that's not even the best part...she found it in a giant ice cave. I mean, it looks like it's been broken through and exposed to the elements, but the inside of it looks like it used to have a human or two living there and there's some evidence of flora having been growing before the cave was compromised by the outside cold and the fact that a giant cave made of jetting ice pillars going in all directions even exists in the first pl _ace heavily suggests the cave she found was a bewilderbeast lair and if what she found really is one of Hiccup the third's journals it means she may have found our ancestor Valka's mountain where she lived after leaving her family and studied dragons and she wants me to come out and intern on the dig so I can see it all for myself!"_

Somewhere in the middle of that, Hiccup started gushing at him really fast, and it honestly took Jack a few moments of staring at his boyfriend blankly before it all clicked.  _Hiccup had told him about the bewilderbeast - the king of all dragons_. Hiccup's eponymous ancestor had written about them in his journal, which had been passed down in his family and sparked the interest in draconology in his mother and himself. "W-wait, you're going out there?!"

"W-well," Hiccup was trying to reign himself in a bit. "That's what I wanted to ask you about - I can't...bring you with me and it'll be a long time. More than a few months..."

"Oh,  _Hiccup_ ," Jack sighed, taking Hiccup's arms gently...before starting to shake him. "Are you a fucking moron? I figured all that! But it doesn't matter! You  _absolutely cannot pass this opportunity up!_ "

"Wh-"

"This is your career we're talking about. Not just that, your  _family history_. Your  _birthright_  to get this information. This is such a unique chance! You  _have_ to go!" And with that, Jack grabbed Hiccup's hand and dragged him to his computer. "Come on, email your mom and let her know. You gotta get in touch with the school and get them in touch with her, right? So you'll get credit for going out there?"

"Jack, wait," Hiccup said, planting his feet into the ground and pulling the whitette around and into his chest to hold him still. "I'll probably be gone at least six months, Jack. I-I'm gonna have to sort it out with the school, yeah, but I also have to worry about my apartment and rent and my stuff, and...and now you. We'll barely be able to talk to each other out there. Slow down. I really need to think about this for a bit."

"Hiccup, what is there to think about? Put your stuff in storage. What you don't want in a storage locker you can keep at my house. And when you get back, you can stay with me until we find a new place for you. Your lease is almost up anyway, isn't it? So you won't even have to break it before you leave."

"Okay but, that's... That's an awful lot of work and there's no guarantee-"

"Hiccup, I don't care what excuses you have... This is your dream. You can't make excuses. You gotta grab this opportunity and not let go for anything. Do whatever it takes to make it come true."

Hiccup was silent for a long moment, and Jack was beginning to worry that he'd upset him somehow. But then Hiccup sighed, and Jack tilted his head a little questioningly.

"Do you...plan these motivational speeches?"

Jack snorted, and knocked Hiccup down onto the couch in front of his laptop. "Come on you big idiot, write that email. I'm gonna call my mom."


	7. What Does This Mean?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup has to leave his boyfriend behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I broke my knee in May, and I've been far too preoccupied with my injury to actually write anything. This has been sitting half finished in my drafts for two months. But! I'm back! Yay!

"Look, Mrs. Overland, I really appreciate the offer, but you really  _don't_ have to  _pay_  for my storage unit." Hiccup's hands went up in an attempt to calm her down, maybe bring her to a reasonable stance. "I  _have_ the money. Physically making my monthly payments on my behalf  _more_  than enough. That's already so much work-"

"Nonsense, sweetie," Jack's mother, sitting across from Hiccup at the table in the Overland household, said as she reached across for his hand.

The four of them - Jack and Emma sitting opposite each other and between Sarah and Hiccup - were gathered around the kitchen table. Jack had convinced Hiccup to let him talk to his mother about what to do with Hiccup's belongings during his absence.

"But you're already letting me stay with you  _now_. Really, this is so...this is so kind of you, but-"

"But nothing," Sarah cut him off again. "It's no trouble letting you stay here until you leave. Your lease ran out last week! There was no sense in renewing it for such a short amount of time when you're going to be gone for four months!"

Hiccup's family (his mother), relatively wealthy, was funding the excavation...or at least, contributing whatever the Norwegian government couldn't. So, theoretically, Hiccup  _could_  stay for the entire time because his mother was in charge and could afford to have him there. But Hiccup's school had informed him that they couldn't let him go longer than four months. Technically they hadn't found any  _proof_  of dragons having resided in the caves despite the anomaly of the mountain itself, so it was strictly classed as an archaeological affair. Hiccup's major was draconology, so even though they  _could_ let him go without losing his scholarship, four months was all they were able to allow.

"Okay, but-"

"I'd stop 'but'ing her, Hic," Jack piped up, smirking a little. He and Emma weren't a part of this conversation, not really. Even if this  _was_  Jack's idea to bring his mom into this and let Hiccup stay at their house, ultimately the decision was hers and this was something that she and Hiccup alone needed to discuss. Jack and Emma... Well, Hiccup suspected they just wanted to watch them go back and forth.

"If it makes you feel better, we can split the cost between us. You're only interning at the excavation, aren't you? You won't be making any money. It's just not financially responsible to try and pay for a storage unit like that."

Gods, Sarah Overland must have been where Jack and Emma got their stubbornness. She wasn't backing down from this, no matter what Hiccup tried. "Mrs. Overland, my mom's got enough money to handle it while I'm not working. Letting me keep my valuables here when I leave - a-and not to mention, letting me stay here while I look for a new apartment! It's more than just generous. I-I don't even know what to say, I can't accept anything  _more_."

At that point, Sarah closed her eyes and took in a deep, steadying breath. Her brows were furrowed together in what Hiccup assumed was frustration. Briefly he was worried she was frustrated at him, but instead she turned to look at both of her children.

"Jack. Emma. Go outside. Have a skateboarding lesson. You can use the street as long as you keep a  _close_  eye out for cars. Hiccup and I need to discuss this and you're both  _very_  distracting."

Jack and Emma looked at each other, then back to their mother. Emma hopped out of her seat immediately and ran to the door to put on her shoes. "C'mon, loser!" Jack was a little slower, stopping to put a comforting hand on a very worried Hiccup's arm. He rubbed his shoulder just a bit, smiling at him, before following after his sister.

Sarah waited patiently for the sounds of her children to go outside and shut the door behind them. Once she was sure they had actually left the house as requested, she sighed and looked him in the eyes. "Are you worried you and Jack won't last while you're gone?" she asked, rather bluntly. Hiccup felt his face heating up. "Is that why you're so resistant for my help?"

_Damn it_. He wasn't sure what was more embarrassing - how apparent his worries seemed to be, or that it was his boyfriend's own mother who saw those fears written on his face? This was exactly what he was afraid of - either her or Jack finding out what he was thinking. Thankfully...thankfully, Jack hadn't seemed to figure it out yet.

"I... Yeah." Hiccup conceded, having gotten to know the Overland family well enough that Sarah was an hawk-eyed-badass. She had to be, to control two kids like Jack and Emma. "We've only been together for two months... And I'm kind of worried what that kind of separation will do to us. You know we've barely been apart."

"Sweetie, look..." Sarah started to say something, but she hesitated. Her breath caught in the back of her throat and she sighed. "I'm not going to try and convince you that won't happen. I obviously can't predict the future. Whether or not you stay with Jack is between you and him, and something you'll have to decide between yourselves. I can't help reassure you. But that has nothing to do with this. My son asked me for this favor, so I'm going to help you out. But...you do need to talk to him."

Hiccup sank in his chair. She had a really good point, and had left him little room to decline. He definitely didn't want to seem ungrateful...and he really could use the reassurance that he'd have a place to stay when he returned to Burgess.

But now...now he needed to talk to Jack. He was dreading that more than anything... Jack could be pretty sensitive under that mischievous smirk and Hiccup didn't want to give him the wrong idea (because Hiccup  _didn't_  want to break up with him!)...or sugar coat what needed to be said and let him down later (because it  _was_  a possibility).

Gods, this was gonna be hard.

"...You're right, Mrs. Overland," he finally sighed. "It... You doing this, it really is such a big help and I'm... I'm so incredibly grateful for your generosity."

Finally, Sarah smiled. There was a triumphant gleam in her eyes as she leaned back in her chair. "So, remind me again when you're supposed to leave?"

Hiccup took that as a sign the conversation was over. She had won.

* * *

Hiccup stared at the sleeping boy next to him. The moonlight shone into Jack's room through the half-open blinds, casting strange lines of silver light across the bed that made his boyfriend look like he was glowing. Humans may have been made from stardust, but Jack he swore was just made of stars. He really was an ethereal being, especially now as he slept. He looked so peaceful and beautiful, it almost hurt for Hiccup to look at him.

_'This is mine,'_ he thought. ' _He's mine. At least for now, he's all mine_.'

Hiccup hadn't ended up talking to Jack. It had been a week since his talk with Mrs. Overland, and he was due to leave now in about two days. But Hiccup had been scared that Jack would be so upset he'd break up with him if he brought up what was on his mind.

And now, with his departure date looming over his head, Hiccup was almost out of time and he was so...scared. What if he waited too long and left Jack worrying about them breaking up after Hiccup got on the plane? What if he ruined the two days he had left with him by bringing it up over breakfast? When was the right time to bring this up?  _Should_   _he even mention it_?

He sighed softly, and leaned in to kiss Jack on the forehead before laying his head on the pillow again, trying to shut his racing brain off and get some rest.

"Hic?"

Shit.

"Hm?" Hiccup opened his eyes again, met with Jack's squinting against the light. "Did I wake you up?"

"Mmhmm..." Jack's arms wrapped around Hiccup's waist and pulled him close. He nuzzled into Hiccup's chest and sighed, the sound muffled. "What time is it?"

"It's two," Hiccup whispered. "I'm sorry...go back to sleep, babe."

"Mn..." Jack slowly pulled back from Hiccup's shirt, blinking a few times trying to push sleep away. "What's wrong?"

"What?"

"You have that look you get when you're worried... Somethin's up...s'that why you're up at two?" It figures Jack would be able to tell in the dark that Hiccup looked upset. For being an airhead, Jack could be pretty perceptive at times. Sometimes people underestimated how smart he was. Sometimes he did, too.

"It's nothing, babe."

"Hiccup." Jack was sitting up now, rubbing one eye, looking exhausted but staring down at him stubbornly. He clearly wasn't going to go back to sleep until Hiccup told him what was on his mind.

"Jack..." Hiccup sighed, flopping back onto the pillow again, covering his eyes. "Come on, don't do this..."

"I'm doin' it. You need to talk about somethin' and I'm not gonna just fall back asleep on ya."

Gods, Hiccup didn't wanna lose this idiot.

"...Jack..." He sighed and closed his eyes, not wanting to see Jack's face. "Do you think we're going to last while I'm gone?"


End file.
